Douglas Hannant

"It's not cerebral at all," Douglas Hannant said of his latest round
of day and evening dresses for the Palm Beach set. "The theme this season is
candy." From the gift bags to the soundtrack to the actual clothes on the
catwalk, the Edwardian Room at the Plaza was awash in sweet froth, with a
palette the designer likened to "a bag of jelly beans dumped on a white
tablecloth."

Propelled outward by crinolines, some of the short skirts looked like
cupcakes. The multicolored buttons running down the front of an ivory shift
with organza cap sleeves, from a distance, could have been Smarties. There
were rainbow sequins on that one, too, so maybe the buttons were
overkill—but if you're trying to liven up lunch conversation at the club,
why not go all the way?

Black mesh layered over Chantilly lace looked downright edgy surrounded
by all the pink. One of the closing gowns was also black. Its bodice gleamed
with sequins caught in net, and the skirt was so voluminous it couldn't
whoosh down the runway without an assist—the model had to lift it up before
she had clearance. The front row (CeCe Cord, Jamee Gregory, et al.) broke
out in applause.